[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 54 (Wednesday, April 30, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E803-E804]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            THE CHILD HEALTH INSURANCE PROVIDES SECURITY ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JOHN D. DINGELL

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, April 30, 1997

  Mr. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, children are the future of our Nation. It 
is important that we give them a healthy start to their lives. 
Unfortunately, many children are not given the opportunity to grow up 
healthy because they cannot get access to a doctor because their 
parents cannot afford insurance.
  The bill that I am introducing in the House today on behalf of my 14 
cosponsors--the Child Health Insurance Provides Security [CHIPS] Act--
provides a strong inducement for States to provide health coverage for 
more children. Medicaid already covers one-third of our Nation's 
children. It therefore makes great sense to build on this existing 
program that has been so successful in providing access to health care 
services for children for 30 years.
  This legislation gives States the option to expand coverage for 
children in families with incomes up to 150 percent of the Federal 
poverty level--or $24,000 per year for a family of four--and provides 
incentives for them to do so by increasing their Federal Medicaid 
assistance percentage by 30 percent. For the working poor this means 
that the variations in eligibility within existing families will be 
leveled out. This will reduce the number of families who have children 
of different ages, some eligible for Medicaid and some not. Children 
also can be made eligible for 1 full year at a time, thus protecting 
them from losing their health care coverage because of changes in 
family income.
  Outreach is another important aspect of children's health care 
coverage. An estimated 3 million children today are eligible to receive 
services through the Medicaid Program but are not enrolled. In order to 
encourage States to step up their efforts to identify and enroll 
children in health insurance programs, we have included $25 million per 
year in grant money to improve and increase outreach efforts by the 
States.
  This bill is not a mandate. States are not required to take advantage 
of any of these options. We are providing a number of vehicles that 
States can use to help improve access to health insurance for their 
children. The CHIPS Act also does not penalize States that already 
cover children up to 150 percent FPL. States which have moved beyond 
the 150 percent

[[Page E804]]

FPL are eligible for the 30 percent enhanced match if they implement 
the 12 month continuous eligibility provision.
  Also, the Child Health Insurance Provides Security Act does not 
preclude other approaches to expanding health insurance coverage for 
children. This bill complements approaches like the Hatch-Kennedy or 
the Daschle bills. CHIPS sets a floor below which no child should fall, 
and other approaches could fit nicely on top of CHIPS.
  I invite my colleagues in the House to join me and the other 
cosponsors in this bipartisan effort to provide health insurance 
security for our Nation's most vulnerable population: Children. A 
strong bi-partisan group of Senators supports CHIPS. I hope that my 
colleagues on both sides of the aisle in the House will come together 
behind this sensible proposal that will expand access for children to 
health insurance.

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